bonny

or bon·nie

[ bon-ee ]

See synonyms for bonny on Thesaurus.com

adjective,bon·ni·er, bon·ni·est.

Chiefly Scot. pleasing to the eye; handsome; pretty.
British Dialect.
- (of people) healthy, sweet, and lively.
- (of places) placid; tranquil.
- pleasing; agreeable; good.

adverb

British Dialect. pleasingly; agreeably; very well.

noun

Scot. and North England Archaic. a pretty girl or young woman.

Origin of bonny

1425–75; late Middle English (Scots ) bonie, perhaps <Old French bon good + -ie-y¹, perhaps by analogy with joliejolly

Other words from bonny

bon·ni·ly, adverb
bon·ni·ness, noun

Words Nearby bonny

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bonny in a sentence

bonny Island in Nigeria and St. Michael's in Maryland had much in common in colonial times.
Nigeria's Hunt for Dick Cheney | Pratap Chatterjee | December 4, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
As if within her bonny smile and unshrinking friendliness he beheld something new and wonderfully beautiful.
Dorothy at Skyrie | Evelyn Raymond
Of course, yes—Maxwelton's braes are bonny—um—um—um—um—um—yes, oh yes.
A Forest Hearth: A Romance of Indiana in the Thirties | Charles Major
"Five years in and out of the desk, in and out of his pocket—but all so nice and unsoiled and sweet and bonny inside," she added.
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete | Gilbert Parker
Laith will the lassie be to weet her bonny shoon, but lang ere the play'll be ower she'll wat her hat aboon.
Penelope's Experiences in Scotland | Kate Douglas Wiggin

Child Stig to the health of his bonny bride quaffed, And forest and meadow delightedly laughed.
The Songs of Ranild | Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for bonny (1 of 2)

bonny

/ (ˈbɒnɪ) /

adjective-nier or -niest

Scot and Northern English dialect beautiful or handsome: a bonny lass
merry or lively: a bonny family

good or fine: a bonny house
(esp of babies) plump
Scot and Northern English dialect considerable; to be reckoned with: cost a bonny penny

adverb

informal agreeably or well: to speak bonny

Origin of bonny

C15: of uncertain origin; perhaps from Old French bon good, from Latin bonus

Derived forms of bonny

bonnily, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for Bonny (2 of 2)

Bonny

/ (ˈbɒnɪ) /

noun

Bight of Bonny a wide bay at the E end of the Gulf of Guinea off the coasts of Nigeria and Cameroon: Former name (until 1975): Bight of Biafra

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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